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DialogueLabel is a specialized RichTextLabel node that handles animated text typing effects for dialogue. It extends Godot’s RichTextLabel with automatic typing animations, pause controls, and inline mutation support.

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Exports

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skip_action
StringName
default:"&'ui_cancel'"
The input action to press to skip typing out the dialogue text.
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seconds_per_step
float
default:"0.02"
The speed with which the text types out. Lower values make typing faster.
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pause_at_characters
String
default:"\".?!\""
Automatically have a brief pause when these characters are encountered during typing.
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skip_pause_at_character_if_followed_by
String
default:"\")\"\""
Don’t auto pause if the character after the pause character is one of these.
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skip_pause_at_abbreviations
PackedStringArray
Don’t auto pause after these abbreviations (only if ”.” is in pause_at_characters). Abbreviations are limited to 5 characters in length and do not support multi-period abbreviations (e.g., “p.m.”).
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seconds_per_pause_step
float
default:"0.3"
The amount of time to pause when exposing a character present in pause_at_characters.

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Properties

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dialogue_line
Variant
The current line of dialogue. Setting this property automatically updates the text displayed in the label.
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is_typing
bool
Whether the label is currently typing itself out. Read-only property that returns false when typing is complete or when awaiting an inline mutation.

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Signals

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spoke
spoke(letter: String, letter_index: int, speed: float)
Emitted for each letter typed out during the typing animation. Useful for adding sound effects or other per-character effects.
  • letter - The character that was just typed
  • letter_index - The index of the character in the text
  • speed - The current typing speed multiplier
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skipped_typing
skipped_typing()
Emitted when the player skips the typing animation by pressing the skip action.
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started_typing
started_typing()
Emitted when the label starts typing out dialogue text.
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finished_typing
finished_typing()
Emitted when the label finishes typing out all dialogue text.

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Methods

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type_out()

func type_out() -> void
Starts typing out the text of the label. This method resets the visible characters to 0 and begins the typing animation.
This method emits started_typing and handles the typing animation automatically. If seconds_per_step is set to 0, all text will be displayed immediately.
Example: 
@onready var dialogue_label = $DialogueLabel

func show_dialogue(line: DialogueLine):
    dialogue_label.dialogue_line = line
    dialogue_label.type_out()
    await dialogue_label.finished_typing

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skip_typing()

func skip_typing() -> void
Stops typing out the text and immediately displays all remaining characters. This method emits skipped_typing. Example: 
func _input(event: InputEvent):
    if event.is_action_pressed("ui_cancel") and dialogue_label.is_typing:
        dialogue_label.skip_typing()

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Usage Example

extends Control

@onready var dialogue_label: DialogueLabel = $DialogueLabel

func _ready():
    # Configure typing speed
    dialogue_label.seconds_per_step = 0.03
    dialogue_label.pause_at_characters = ".?!,"
    
    # Connect to signals
    dialogue_label.spoke.connect(_on_letter_typed)
    dialogue_label.finished_typing.connect(_on_typing_finished)
    
    # Get and display a dialogue line
    var line = await DialogueManager.get_next_dialogue_line(dialogue_resource)
    dialogue_label.dialogue_line = line
    dialogue_label.type_out()

func _on_letter_typed(letter: String, letter_index: int, speed: float):
    # Play typing sound effect
    $TypingSound.play()

func _on_typing_finished():
    # Show continue indicator
    $ContinueIndicator.show()

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Advanced Features

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Custom Text Updates

You can override the _update_text() method in a subclass to customize how the label displays dialogue text: 
class_name CustomDialogueLabel extends DialogueLabel

func _update_text() -> void:
    # Custom text formatting
    text = "[color=yellow]%s:[/color] %s" % [dialogue_line.character, dialogue_line.text]

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Inline Mutations

DialogueLabel automatically handles inline mutations defined in your dialogue script. These mutations are executed at specific character positions during the typing animation, allowing for dynamic text effects and game state changes.
The label waits for inline mutations to complete before continuing to type, ensuring proper synchronization between text display and game logic.

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